Months of planning and official visits have led to this moment. At WorldSkills General Assembly 2024, WorldSkills Japan was chosen to be the Host of the 49th WorldSkills Competition in the city of Aichi.

WorldSkills Japan’s presentation was underpinned by the theme of “compact and impactful”. The bid described how the event would take place in Aichi Sky Expo which boasts hotels within five minutes of the venue and direct links to national and international transport hubs. WorldSkills Japan hopes that this will make the Competition feel easy and accessible for visitors with a plan to mobilize 300,000 visitors to the event, including a large number of students to inspire the next generation. The bid also highlighted many points of alignment between Japan’s skills strategies and the goals of the WorldSkills community, including its belief in training and capacity building, its commitment to more sustainable practices, and its connection to industry.

The bid included a special message from Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan, who said, “Today we face many challenges such as the promotion of digitalization and the promotion of SDGs to sustain global economy and industry. I’m convinced the excellent skills of people will play a driving role to overcome such issues. This is why I’ve taken leadership in promoting the bid for WorldSkills Competition in Japan. Recently I had an opportunity to talk with some Champions. I was deeply impressed by young people boldly opening up the future of skills. The government of Japan is ready to support the WorldSkills Competition.”

WorldSkills International conducted official tours of Aichi, the venues, and infrastructure, they also made sure the bidding Member had met the technical, financial, logistical, and operational requirements of the Competition.

For WorldSkills Japan, hosting the 49th WorldSkills Competition will offer a historic opportunity to promote Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and put skills on the world stage. As Host, they will benefit from increased international awareness and the opportunity to attract more people to skilled professions.

The event will give WorldSkills Japan a platform to showcase its national strength in skills and promote their leading industries and innovations. They can also expect an influx of tourism.

WorldSkills Aichi 2028 will follow WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 which is taking place between 22 to 27 September 2026. For now, WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 congratulates WorldSkills Japan, and looks forward to an impressive 49th WorldSkills Competition. Mark your calendars and see you there!